Chapter 79: Learning the Blade

A heavy snowfall blanketed Luocheng, transforming the staggered gray-tiled buildings and pavilions into a world of white. Only on Tongji Street was the clean white accumulated snow trampled into black mud by the dense stream of jing shi si soldiers and horses. Every household's doors and windows on the street were tightly shut, afraid of getting involved in trouble.

Inside the mansion that had been bombed into ruins, dozens of jing shi si agents were clearing bricks, stones, tiles, and debris from the collapsed ruins, attempting to uncover useful clues.

Jin Zhu sighed and said, "Everyone says an auspicious snow heralds a good year, but I can't be happy. How much longer will it take to clear away the ruins?"

"My lord, it will be soon. Please eat something first. I sent people to buy these Weng Ji steamed buns; they are very famous in Luocheng."

"What time is it now, and you're still eating steamed buns? They are quite fragrant, though. This meat filling is from a castrated pig that was just slaughtered last night, so there's no腥臭 (xīng chòu - strong, unpleasant smell). The seasonings include star anise, scallion, ginger, sesame oil... It seems they also have their own secret oil blend. Exquisite!"

In the courtyard, a small cowhide military tent had been set up, with a small stove burning inside, boiling hot water.

Jin Zhu sat comfortably in the tent, gnawing on a hot, steaming Weng Ji steamed bun.

At this moment, a jing shi si agent bent down and crawled into the tent, saying in a low voice, "My lord, the ruins have been completely cleared. Aside from some normal daily items, there's nothing out of the ordinary."

Jin Zhu chewed the steamed bun and vaguely asked, "How many firearms did the killer use?"

"Judging from the bamboo tube fragments found in the ruins, there should be two."

"What did the coroner say?"

The jing shi si agent reported, "The coroner has examined the deceased's injuries. The deceased's body has forty-two wounds from iron fragments."

"There is one cut wound on the neck and one penetrating wound on the thigh. What's relatively strange is that this person's upper body only has abrasions at most, no major problems."

Jin Zhu paused with the half-eaten steamed bun in his hand: "I've witnessed the power of that firearm. Two firearms blew up the house, and his upper body is unscathed. This must be a horizontal training martial artist from Cangzhou, or a bell-striking strongman from Jing Dynasty's Ku Jue Temple... Jing Dynasty's... The deceased's hair is all shaved off. Look at the top of his head to see if there are any monk scars!"

The jing shi si agent quickly walked out the door, half-knelt beside Yuan Zhanggui's corpse, held a knife in one hand, and cut off Yuan Zhanggui's hair with the other: "My lord, there are monk scars!"

"It really is a monk from Ku Jue Temple! It must be thieves from Jing Dynasty. They previously stole cultivation methods from Ku Jue Temple," Jin Zhu stuffed the remaining half of the steamed bun into his mouth and swallowed it whole: "Strange, strange. Why did the killer want to come and kill him?"

Jin Zhu was confused: The deceased was suspected to be a Jing Dynasty thief, and the killer was also suspected to be a Jing Dynasty thief. Why did both sides kill each other?

"What did the residents of Tongji Street say? Did anyone recognize him?"

The jing shi si agent shook his head: "No, the neighbors say this house has been empty for over a year, and they've never seen anyone enter or exit. We found a broker to ask. The owner of this courtyard is a Huishang from the south. In the early years, he kept a concubine here, but now he has already sent the concubine to Prefect Zhang Zhuo. He hasn't been to Luocheng for a long time."

Yuan Zhanggui's clothes were stripped, and his appearance wasn't recognized by anyone. The house was also abandoned. Before leaving, Gui had stripped Yuan Zhanggui's clothing and removed the other party's human skin mask, suddenly leaving the case without clues.

At this moment, a jing shi si agent on horseback arrived outside the mansion. He leaped off the horse and loudly said, "My lord, my lord!"

Jin Zhu lifted the tent curtain and walked out: "What are you shouting about? Look at your panicked appearance. The sky of our jing shi si hasn't fallen yet."

The jing shi si agent said hoarsely, "My lord, after I negotiated with the Luocheng Soldiers and Horses Office last night, they fully agreed to close the city gates and set up checkpoints. But this morning, I went to look at the city gates, and the four city gates of Luocheng are still operating normally, without any checkpoints at all. Our people went to ask what was going on, and the people from the Soldiers and Horses Office said no one had notified them to close the gates at all. Hundreds of common people have already entered and exited, and the snow tracks on the roads outside the city have also been destroyed!"

The jing shi si agents' killing intent suddenly surged. Whether in the capital or Jinling, who would dare to openly disobey the jing shi si like this?

A jing shi si agent softly said, "My lord, should we arrest Liu Zhen, the head of the Luocheng Soldiers and Horses Office, and then discuss it?"

Jin Zhu was silent. After a long time, he only smiled and said, "Arresting him is also useless. Perhaps the Liu family is waiting for us to arrest Liu Zhen and has prepared a countermeasure waiting for us... The Liu family in this Yu Prefecture really covers the sky with one hand. Have you been to the prefect's yamen?"

"Yes, the prefect and the assistant prefect are both not in the yamen. The clerk said that last night when it was snowing, those two officials went to the river dike overnight to set up a porridge shed and are now comforting the workers at the river dike."

Jin Zhu was angered and laughed: "Good, good, good. These are the civil officials of my Ning Dynasty! Civil officials harm the country!"

A trusted jing shi si agent beside him said in a low voice, "My lord, now in this Luocheng territory, the civil officials are all acting like they've completed their work (referring to Qingshan). They avoid us as if we are snakes and scorpions. The Liu family is also obstructing us from the middle. There is also an insider of the Jing Dynasty thieves within the Luocheng jing shi si..."

Jin Zhu only felt that things were getting troublesome. The most crucial point was that he didn't know who the Jing Dynasty insider was. Even if he found some clues later, the Jing Dynasty would also know about them.

He said in a low voice, "From today onwards, you will lead our own people to investigate the firearm matter from last night. Do not let the local jing shi si intervene."

The jing shi si agent said with difficulty, "But we only brought twelve jing shi si agents from the capital. Everyone is still not familiar with Luocheng. We always need a reliable person who is familiar with Luocheng to lead us."

Jin Zhu suddenly said, "I've thought of someone. Prepare a horse. I'm going to find him. None of you follow!"

Anxi Street was decorated in silver and plain white, full of joy. The whole street was filled with small children frolicking and running around, with snowballs flying everywhere.

The neighbors on the street swept away the accumulated snow in front of their doors while happily greeting each other.

Bai Li Guniang returned with Liang Mao, stepping through the snow. Both of them carried two vegetable baskets in their hands and walked into the Taiping Medical Hall.

Liang Mao's baskets were filled with pork and mutton, and Bai Li Guniang's hands carried large scallions and vegetables. Because the snowy ground was difficult to walk on, the prices of vegetables today were extraordinarily expensive.

But Bai Li didn't care.

In the main hall of the medical hall, Old Man Yao was just pulling his abacus.

He saw Bai Li enter out of the corner of his eye and asked without lifting his head, "What did Guniang go out and buy this morning?"

Bai Li smiled brightly: "Today is a heavy snow. At noon, I'll make everyone pork and scallion, and celery and mutton dumplings to eat!"

Old Man Yao lifted his head, stroked his beard, and uncharacteristically didn't speak harshly. Instead, he looked carefully at Bai Li: "Guniang truly has the heart of a Bodhisattva. Stretch out your hand, and I'll read your palm."

Bai Li placed the vegetable baskets on the counter, smiled, and stretched out her hand, opening her palm: "You're also proficient in physiognomy?"

Old Man Yao pinched Bai Li's fair and slender palm, examined it for a long time: "Not a short-lived person. Go and be busy."

Bai Li was slightly startled: "Ah? That's it? Tell me more about other things."

Old Man Yao asked: "What else do you want to know?"

Bai Li stood in front of the counter and thought for a moment: "Will I encounter any major disasters or difficulties?"

Old Man Yao shook his head: "Guniang is very fortunate. Even if you encounter danger, there will be people who will step in to help you and turn misfortune into blessing."

Bai Li thought of last night's experience and her eyes suddenly lit up: "Wow, you're very accurate, Old Immortal! Calculate other things for me again, for example, marriage, or what other matters I need to pay attention to in the future."

"I can't calculate those. Go wrap dumplings," Old Man Yao waved his hand and sent Bai Li away.

After Bai Li Guniang went to the backyard, he again took out six copper coins from his sleeve and threw them onto the counter. His eyebrows were tightly locked at first, then relaxed.

Inside the backyard.

She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and Shizi were practicing horse stance under the guidance of Liang Gou. Chen Ji was sitting on a bamboo lounge chair watching, with a cotton quilt thoughtfully draped over his body.

After just applying the medicine, Chen Ji only felt that the wounds on his legs and chest were no longer that painful. The wounds were even scabbing and healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The medicine official of Lao Jun Mountain seemed more miraculous than imagined. Liang Gou must have put a lot of effort into getting this medicine.

At this time, the three of She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and Shizi were swaying while practicing their horse stance. In this cold winter, they were all sweating profusely, and the steam-like sweat vapor on their heads was clearly visible.

She Dengke wailed: "How much longer do we have to stand?"

Liang Gou whipped his thigh with a bamboo strip: "You can't even hold on for this little while? In the past, I suffered more than you've eaten salt to practice my knife skills!"

Liu Quxing thought for a moment: "That's not much either."

The bamboo strip whipped Liu Quxing's buttocks, causing him to grimace in pain.

Only Shizi didn't complain of hardship or tiredness. He genuinely wanted to learn knife skills. The helplessness he felt when abandoned by those Jianghu heroes last night, the despair he faced when confronting the jing shi si, all reminded him that the only person he could rely on was himself.

Therefore, Shizi really wanted to become a capable official.

Taking advantage of the three practicing horse stance, Liang Gou sat comfortably on a small bamboo stool under the eaves. Beside him, Liang Mao was sitting side by side, picking vegetables.

Suddenly, Liang Mao lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Brother, that bottle of soft jade ointment was clearly always on you. Why did you lie to them and say you went to Lao Jun Mountain to get it?"

Liang Gou glanced at his younger brother with annoyance: "If I don't say it like this, will they cherish it? Only things that are hard to come by will be remembered and cherished!"

"That's still lying. I know you hope Shizi will continue to bring you drinks, but if you didn't lie and gave Chen Ji the medicine, they would also thank you."

Liang Gou lightly snorted: "Is the medicine effective? Yes. Was the medicine given by the medicine official of Lao Jun Mountain? Yes. As long as Chen Ji can get better soon, what's a little lie?"

Liang Mao's voice was even lower: "Brother, our Liang family's knife skills are not entered through practicing horse stance. In the past, father said to search for wonderful taste in the book house and look at the complete version of Qingshan. The Liang family's knife skills start with breathing in the heaven and earth. There is fundamentally no need to cultivate horizontal training kung fu like other martial artists."

Liang Gou said somewhat impatiently: "All martial artists in the world start by practicing horse stance. What's wrong with me teaching like this? Could it be that I should really teach the Liang family's knife skills? If I really do that, when we two go underground, our father won't scold us to death!"

There are many people who use knives in the world, but few who enter the dao. To enter one's own dao, one must have one's own unique methods.

This is the unpassed secret of the Liang family.

Liang Mao was not in a good mood: "But they are all very good people, brother. If you don't plan to teach them real things, just tell them directly. Don't hide and tuck."

Liang Gou said with a serious face: "If I tell them directly, how will we two still drink? How will we live in this Taiping Medical Hall? Otherwise, you first learn this Liang family's knife skills. At that time, you can pass it on to whoever you want. I don't care."

Liang Mao suddenly became discouraged: "I can't learn."

Liang Gou straightened his body: "I just don't believe I can't teach you! When you learn, you can pass it on to whoever you want. On the road to the Yellow Springs, you can take care of everything. You can go and receive father and grandfather's scolding..."

"I really can't learn."

"You must learn even if you can't!" Liang Gou said solemnly: "Follow me and breathe. Thirteen thousand five hundred breaths. Inhale and exhale the vast wilderness, heaven and earth. It's just simple breathing. How can you not even enter? Persevere, persevere. Wait until you have that one breath in your chest and abdomen."

No one noticed that just as Liang Gou was teaching Liang Mao breathing, Wu Yun was squatting aside, seemingly understanding but not understanding, staring, his body also slightly rising and falling with the breathing.

Sometimes Wu Yun couldn't understand some of the things Liang Gou said, but it kept them in mind and slowly pondered them.

Just as Wu Yun was thoughtfully adjusting his breathing frequency, Liang Gou unintentionally glanced at its focused appearance and suddenly laughed: "Does this little cat also want to follow me and learn knife skills? Ha ha ha, if this Liang family's knife skills are learned by a cat, I don't know what our father in the underground will think."

Liang Mao muttered while picking vegetables: "Just teach it. Maybe it will learn faster than me."

Liang Gou cried and laughed: "What nonsense are you saying? A cat doesn't even understand what we're saying. How can it learn knife skills? You listen to me properly. I still don't believe I can't teach you."

Wu Yun ignored him, jumped onto Liang Mao's shoulder of its own accord, and while feigning sleep, secretly listened to Liang Gou imparting the dao to Liang Mao.

It only felt that this Liang family's knife skills were full of attraction. Whether it could understand or not was another matter, it would listen first.

Just at this moment, a crisp bird chirping sound came from outside the door.

The others didn't notice, but Chen Ji's eyes suddenly opened. This was the sound of the jing shi si's copper whistle!

He was surprised, propped up his body, and looked through the corridor towards the main hall.

Jin Zhu, dressed in commoner clothes and wearing a bamboo hat, came to the Taiping Medical Hall pretending to seek medical treatment. He came to the counter and smiled, greeting Old Man Yao: "Imperial Physician Yao, I'm looking for Chen Ji."

Old Man Yao put down the writing brush and account book in his hand and eyed Jin Zhu sideways: "Are all the jing shi si people dead? What are you doing looking for a heavily injured person every day?"

Jin Zhu smiled awkwardly: "It's still not because your elder's disciples are excellent."

"Go ahead, he's in the backyard."

Jin Zhu poked his head towards the backyard and glanced: "Trouble you to call him out. There are many people in the courtyard with loose mouths."

Old Man Yao coldly laughed, turned his head, and shouted: "Chen Ji, come out. Someone's looking for you."

Jin Zhu hurriedly said: "Can you speak a little softer? I came secretly!"

Chen Ji slowly moved out: "Lord Jin Zhu, why have you come?"

Jin Zhu pulled Chen Ji to the side and smiled: "First of all, I have to congratulate you. The last time we made merit at the Chaocang gambling house, the rewards have already come down. You are now a pigeon-level jing shi si agent. One step further, and you'll be a sea east blue in charge of one side. After this year's salary, the court will give you thirty taels, and our jing shi si will give you an extra thirty taels."

Chen Ji made an "um" sound.

Seeing that he wasn't very moved, Jin Zhu added: "The letter requesting cultivation methods for you exceptionally has already flown to the capital. I think we should receive a reply from the inner minister within a few days."

Chen Ji's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"How could I deceive you?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Lord Jin Zhu, what is the matter this time?"

"There's a big merit waiting for you!" Jin Zhu smiled and coaxed: "You should know that cultivation methods are a reward that only sea east blue level big jing shi si agents can get. Although I've already exceptionally requested it for you, whether the inner minister agrees is still uncertain. But if you make another big merit this time, not only will the cultivation methods be nailed down, but perhaps you can be immediately promoted to sea east blue and obtain monthly cultivation resources. Did you hear the explosion sound last night?"

"No, what explosion sound?" Chen Ji pretended not to know. The medical hall was several li away from Hongyi Lane, and he couldn't possibly hear the movement there.

Jin Zhu said: "Last night, some Jing Dynasty thieves caused trouble in Hongyi Lane. Now we don't know where they are hiding. I need you to lead a team to find him."

Chen Ji thought to himself, isn't this a coincidence?

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